scholarly journals Use of Stable-Isotope Probing, Full-Cycle rRNA Analysis, and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization-Microautoradiography To Study a Methanol-Fed Denitrifying Microbial Community

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 588-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maneesha P. Ginige ◽  
Philip Hugenholtz ◽  
Holger Daims ◽  
Michael Wagner ◽  
Jürg Keller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Clone Library ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Denitrification Rate ◽  
Biological Nutrient Removal ◽  
Group A

ABSTRACT A denitrifying microbial consortium was enriched in an anoxically operated, methanol-fed sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with a mineral salts medium containing methanol as the sole carbon source and nitrate as the electron acceptor. The SBR was inoculated with sludge from a biological nutrient removal activated sludge plant exhibiting good denitrification. The SBR denitrification rate improved from less than 0.02 mg of NO3 −-N mg of mixed-liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS)−1 h−1 to a steady-state value of 0.06 mg of NO3 −-N mg of MLVSS−1 h−1 over a 7-month operational period. At this time, the enriched microbial community was subjected to stable-isotope probing (SIP) with [13C]methanol to biomark the DNA of the denitrifiers. The extracted [13C]DNA and [12C]DNA from the SIP experiment were separately subjected to full-cycle rRNA analysis. The dominant 16S rRNA gene phylotype (group A clones) in the [13C]DNA clone library was closely related to those of the obligate methylotrophs Methylobacillus and Methylophilus in the order Methylophilales of the Betaproteobacteria (96 to 97% sequence identities), while the most abundant clone groups in the [12C]DNA clone library mostly belonged to the family Saprospiraceae in the Bacteroidetes phylum. Oligonucleotide probes for use in fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were designed to specifically target the group A clones and Methylophilales (probes DEN67 and MET1216, respectively) and the Saprospiraceae clones (probe SAP553). Application of these probes to the SBR biomass over the enrichment period demonstrated a strong correlation between the level of SBR denitrification and relative abundance of DEN67-targeted bacteria in the SBR community. By contrast, there was no correlation between the denitrification rate and the relative abundances of the well-known denitrifying genera Hyphomicrobium and Paracoccus or the Saprospiraceae clones visualized by FISH in the SBR biomass. FISH combined with microautoradiography independently confirmed that the DEN67-targeted cells were the dominant bacterial group capable of anoxic [14C]methanol uptake in the enriched biomass. The well-known denitrification lag period in the methanol-fed SBR was shown to coincide with a lag phase in growth of the DEN67-targeted denitrifying population. We conclude that Methylophilales bacteria are the dominant denitrifiers in our SBR system and likely are important denitrifiers in full-scale methanol-fed denitrifying sludges.

scholarly journals Resolving Genetic Functions within Microbial Populations: In Situ Analyses Using rRNA and mRNA Stable Isotope Probing Coupled with Single-Cell Raman-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei E. Huang ◽  
Andrew Ferguson ◽  
Andrew C. Singer ◽  
Kathryn Lawson ◽  
Ian P. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
And Function ◽  
Naphthalene Biodegradation

ABSTRACT Prokaryotes represent one-half of the living biomass on Earth, with the vast majority remaining elusive to culture and study within the laboratory. As a result, we lack a basic understanding of the functions that many species perform in the natural world. To address this issue, we developed complementary population and single-cell stable isotope (13C)-linked analyses to determine microbial identity and function in situ. We demonstrated that the use of rRNA/mRNA stable isotope probing (SIP) recovered the key phylogenetic and functional RNAs. This was followed by single-cell physiological analyses of these populations to determine and quantify in situ functions within an aerobic naphthalene-degrading groundwater microbial community. Using these culture-independent approaches, we identified three prokaryote species capable of naphthalene biodegradation within the groundwater system: two taxa were isolated in the laboratory (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas putida), whereas the third eluded culture (an Acidovorax sp.). Using parallel population and single-cell stable isotope technologies, we were able to identify an unculturable Acidovorax sp. which played the key role in naphthalene biodegradation in situ, rather than the culturable naphthalene-biodegrading Pseudomonas sp. isolated from the same groundwater. The Pseudomonas isolates actively degraded naphthalene only at naphthalene concentrations higher than 30 μM. This study demonstrated that unculturable microorganisms could play important roles in biodegradation in the ecosystem. It also showed that the combined RNA SIP-Raman-fluorescence in situ hybridization approach may be a significant tool in resolving ecology, functionality, and niche specialization within the unculturable fraction of organisms residing in the natural environment.

scholarly journals Investigation of an Acetate-Fed Denitrifying Microbial Community by Stable Isotope Probing, Full-Cycle rRNA Analysis, and Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization-Microautoradiography

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 8683-8691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maneesha P. Ginige ◽  
Jürg Keller ◽  
Linda L. Blackall
Keyword(s):  
In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Batch Reactor ◽  
External Source ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The acetate-utilizing microbial consortium in a full-scale activated sludge process was investigated without prior enrichment using stable isotope probing (SIP). [13C]acetate was used in SIP to label the DNA of the denitrifiers. The [13C]DNA fraction that was extracted was subjected to a full-cycle rRNA analysis. The dominant 16S rRNA gene phylotypes in the 13C library were closely related to the bacterial families Comamonadaceae and Rhodocyclaceae in the class Betaproteobacteria. Seven oligonucleotide probes for use in fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) were designed to specifically target these clones. Application of these probes to the sludge of a continuously fed denitrifying sequencing batch reactor (CFDSBR) operated for 16 days revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between the CFDSBR denitrification rate and the relative abundance of all probe-targeted bacteria in the CFDSBR community. FISH-microautoradiography demonstrated that the DEN581 and DEN124 probe-targeted cells that dominated the CFDSBR were capable of taking up [14C]acetate under anoxic conditions. Initially, DEN444 and DEN1454 probe-targeted bacteria also dominated the CFDSBR biomass, but eventually DEN581 and DEN124 probe-targeted bacteria were the dominant bacterial groups. All probe-targeted bacteria assessed in this study were denitrifiers capable of utilizing acetate as a source of carbon. The rapid increase in the number of organisms positively correlated with the immediate increase in denitrification rates observed by plant operators when acetate is used as an external source of carbon to enhance denitrification. We suggest that the impact of bacteria on activated sludge subjected to intermittent acetate supplementation should be assessed prior to the widespread use of acetate in the wastewater industry to enhance denitrification.

scholarly journals Stable Isotope Probing for Microbial Iron Reduction in Chocolate Pots Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel W. Fortney ◽  
Shaomei He ◽  
Ajinkya Kulkarni ◽  
Michael W. Friedrich ◽  
Charlotte Holz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Redox Cycling ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACTChocolate Pots hot springs (CP) is a circumneutral-pH Fe-rich geothermal feature located in Yellowstone National Park. Previous Fe(III)-reducing enrichment culture studies with CP sediments identified close relatives of known dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterial (FeRB) taxa, includingGeobacterandMelioribacter. However, the abundances and activities of such organisms in the native microbial community are unknown. Here, we used stable isotope probing experiments combined with 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to gain an understanding of thein situFe(III)-reducing microbial community at CP. Fe-Si oxide precipitates collected near the hot spring vent were incubated with unlabeled and13C-labeled acetate to target active FeRB. We searched reconstructed genomes for homologs of genes involved in known extracellular electron transfer (EET) systems to identify the taxa involved in Fe redox transformations. Known FeRB taxa containing putative EET systems (Geobacter,Ignavibacteria) increased in abundance under acetate-amended conditions, whereas genomes related toIgnavibacteriumandThermodesulfovibriothat contained putative EET systems were recovered from incubations without electron donor. Our results suggest that FeRB play an active role in Fe redox cycling within Fe-Si oxide-rich deposits located at the hot spring vent.IMPORTANCEThe identification of past near-surface hydrothermal environments on Mars emphasizes the importance of using modern Earth environments, such as CP, to gain insight into potential Fe-based microbial life on other rocky worlds, as well as ancient Fe-rich Earth ecosystems. By combining stable carbon isotope probing techniques and DNA sequencing technology, we gained insight into the pathways of microbial Fe redox cycling at CP. The results suggest that microbial Fe(III) oxide reduction is prominentin situ, with important implications for the generation of geochemical and stable Fe isotopic signatures of microbial Fe redox metabolism within Fe-rich circumneutral-pH thermal spring environments on Earth and Mars.

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